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Proper Exercise Regimen For Patients with Heart Disease

January 19, 2015Comments Off on Proper Exercise Regimen For Patients with Heart Disease

You need it but you may not like it; that’s what exercise exactly is. Aside from being seen as time consuming, it can also be physically challenging to keep a regular exercise regimen. Not many people may realize it, however, that exercise offers a lot of health benefits, especially if you happen to have a heart disease.

Now, not all exercise routines is recommended for those with certain heart conditions. That being the case, keeping in mind the following can help you figure out which cardiovascular exercises are just the right ones for you:

1. Check with your doctor first.

Your doctor would be able to tell you the different kinds of activities you can engage in as well as how often you should do these routines. In order to ascertain this, your doctor would have you undergo a number of physical exams including 2D echo and stress test.

2. Avoid isometric exercises

An exercise routine is considered to be an isometric one if it focuses more on strengthening the muscles. In most cases, these routines do not require much change in position. Some of the more popular forms of isometric exercise would include sit-ups and push-ups. Instead of going for an isometric exercise, choose an aerobic one. Some popular examples of the latter would include your usual activities like walking, running, biking, skipping rope, and even ice or roller-skating.

3. The 30-minute Rule

In order for your exercise routine to be effective, it needs to last for at least 30 minutes. Now, while most people think that you need to spend the whole 30 minutes in one go, that is not always the case. In fact, you can break down those 30 minutes in smaller amounts so that you can have around 5 minutes of break before you start the next routine. Once you have become used to the amount of time that you spend for your activities as well as for your breaks, slowly increase the former while decreasing the latter.

4. The 3-Step Rule

When doing an exercise, you do not immediately jump and start your activities. You need to make sure that you follow three steps in order to avoid straining your muscles – warming up, conditioning, and cooling down. The first step ensures that you would not be suffering from muscle soreness later on. It is known to slowly increase your heart rate as well as your breathing. The second step, on the other hand, is where you get the most out of your routine. Make sure, however, that you do not overdo it. The last one focuses more on allowing your heart and breathing rate to go back to its resting condition.

In all of this, however, you have to keep in mind that your routine should not be one that would have you short of breath. If, at any time, you feel heaviness on your chest or difficulty in breathing, you should stop and take a breather. If the feeling does not go away, it would be best to check with your doctor. Make sure that you have an AED unit on hand so that you can deal with any kind of situation.